


Glitch

by abbybear



Series: Tony Talks To Himself [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Angst, Consent Issues, Depression, Do-Over, Doctor Strange Will Help, Dubious Consent, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Hand Jobs, M/M, More angst, Multiverse, Poor Peter Parker, Poor Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Sexual Violence, Slash, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve talks to Tony, Time Travel Fix-It, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark May Not Be Crazy, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, we'll see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 10:33:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14892986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbybear/pseuds/abbybear
Summary: Tony tries his best to not let Peter down.  Steve tries to help.  Strange left the two some advice and assistance, but both Tony and Steve are unprepared to face their younger selves from two years prior.Attempted fix-it with the help of the multiverse and some magic glitches.  Please heed tag warnings.---“Please.  Don’t leave me here again.  Go back. I won’t fight you.  I can’t, Steve.”The phantom of Tony Stark kneels before him, mouth screwed down in a frown, eyes abnormally wide and unfocused.  He reaches up to take the other's hand, but Steve pulls away and turns back to the friend he is half carrying."Let's leave."He helps Barnes stumble out of the Siberian bunker without looking back.  Steve convinces himself that the soft sobs echoing in the hall have no effect on him.





	Glitch

**Author's Note:**

> Well. This was supposed to only be two parts. Here's a third, and a fourth (and final) piece coming. Can be read as a stand alone, but will make more sense following the first two stories in this series.
> 
> Warning: Second to last segment, Steve gets a little too angry and a little too hands-y. He does realize his mistake before he goes too far, but some dubious consent ahead. Tony still loves him in the end.
> 
> Also post-Avengers: Infinity War (part I). Spoilers ahead.
> 
> Unbeta-ed. Let me know if you see anything that requires correcting.
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: This is proof that I don't own anything. I say two parts, I make four. Those kinds of decisions would throw the MCU into chaos. (I guess it already sort of is in chaos. Thanks, Thanos.)

* * *

* * *

Wong looks exhausted when Tony visits him.  The New York Sanctum is cleared of debris and bears a patched roof and repaired floor.  The sorcerer fashions them a pair of plush chairs at the entrance of a gated library.

“Tell me about the Time Stone.” Tony leans forward in his seat, failing to keep his gaze away from the young boy standing behind his companion. Wong follows Tony's gaze to the empty space behind his chair.  He sways his hands until a burning circle appears before him, muttering some words before the magic disappears. He turns back to Tony.

“Do you see someone?  The astral plane has been out of sync since that day. I am not detecting anything, but that doesn’t mean--”

“No. Please, Wong. Time Stone. How does it work?”

“We're not supposed to share details about the Eye of Agamotto to outsiders.”

Tony starts to argue as Wong raises a hand.

“That being said, if what you say is true about Stephen sacrificing the stone for your life, perhaps you're meant to know.  I do not know how to use the power of the Eye, but this may.”

A envelope floats from the library and through the bars into Tony's hands. The creased yellow paper feels rough against his skin.

“Stephen Strange asked for me to give it to someone who was lost and in need of guidance.”

Tony can’t help it--he looks back over to Peter.  The young man walks to him, kneeling in front of his seat and pressing his fingers into the wrist holding the letter.  

“Mr. Stark, this is it.  Let’s go home.”

“Thanks, Wong.  I’ll just. Yeah.  Thanks.”

Wong watches him watch Peter.  He says nothing as he walks Tony out.  He stays on the front porch and watches the red and gold suit soar away.

 

***

 

“Any luck?”  Steve is waiting for Tony in the workshop.  He stands up from his tense position on the couch and makes his way over to the smaller man, his writhing fingers awkward at his sides.  Peter takes his seat on the sofa, eyes bright and mouth wide in a grin.

“Strange wrote me a letter.  Includes a set of coordinates along with the words _‘Another chance may come in handy.’_  These coordinates looks familiar.  Fry?”

“On it.”

“Let me take a look.”  Steve takes the letter from his hands.  He looks down, then suddenly his grip is tight and his arms are shaking.

“Coordinates are in Siberia.  Boss, they’re the same as two years ago.”

Tony chances a look over at Steve.  The blonde has returned to the couch and is leaning his temple against his palm, nails driving into his skull.  Peter looks worried, placing a hand on the supersoldier’s back that Steve cannot feel. Tony forces himself to step closer and kneel next to the pair, keeping his hand from shaking as he strokes Steve’s jawline.  

“We can do this, Steve.  We _have_ to fix this.”

His blue eyes seem so far away when he looks up.  

“You’ll hate me again.”

Tony feels his fingers falter.  He screws his face into a smile and holds it there until Steve sees.

“I’m a mechanic, remember?”

Peter shares his smile.  Steve tries to reciprocates, but his face is wet and his lips are trembling.  He leans forward and kisses Tony on the cheek.

They board the Quinjet half an hour later.

 

***

 

Before they get far into the bunker, a Doctor Strange greets them.  This sorcerer is a few decades older than the last man Tony met, and the Eye of Agamotto glows a faint emerald against his chest.

“Tony.  I have been expecting you for some time.  Captain Rogers, thank you for joining us.”  Strange nods at the both of them before leading them down the corridor.  Peter bounces slowly behind the three, and Tony sneaks him a single look back at him while the doctor is addressing Steve.

“I understand your last visit here was memorable.  I can send you back in this timeline to try and correct the wrongs that transpired, but this Time Stone is not from this universe and may glitch.  My few bouts of time travel in this world were restrictive, but in the end adequate after a few attempts.”

“Anything.”  Steve grasps Tony’s fingers between his own and squeezes.

“We’ll do anything to make things right.”

Tony only manages to nod before an intricate green circle encircles Strange’s wrist and twists.  Tony loses his grip on Steve. His mind reels and a memory of fallen allies surrounds him, Peter’s crumbling body now among those few friends.

When the spinning stops, Tony opens his eyes to the same dark passage in the bunker.  Steve is gone, and Tony digs his nails into his palms, pain staving off the sorrow lodged in his throat.  Peter is still at his side, eyes focused down the hallway.

“Mr. Stark.  Just remember, you can do this.  No matter what happens.”

A combination of delayed footfalls and uneven dragging makes its way closer.  When Tony sees a clean-shaven Steve Rogers hauling the Winter Soldier’s battered body, he tries to retreat.  The roughed up blonde spots him before Tony can take more than a few steps backward, and he pulls his broken friend behind him.

“It’s over.  Let us leave.”

Tony hears Peter murmuring next to him as he stares at Steve’s drained features.  Barnes looks up and stares down the empty hall.

“Steve?  Who are you talking to?”

“Stark.  He’s blocking our exit.”  Steve turns and the two supersoldiers look at each other before the maimed one looks back at Tony.

“He’s not there.  We left him back there, remember?  His suit is disabled. He won’t be able to follow us.”

Steve looks back over at Tony.  His face is flushed and smeared with dirt.  Tony tries to not break down as the blonde starts walking again.  He somehow makes it to the wall to his left before he sinks to the ground, head falling to his knees as his chest heaves and arms shake.  He cannot look up as the pair passes him even when he hears a pause in movement and feels a light touch on the top of his head.

“Bucky.  You don’t see anything?  Right here?”

“Nothing.  Hey, Steve?  Maybe you should go back.  You must be worried if you’re seeing--”

“No.”  Tony forces his face up.  Steve’s hand lingers, fingers shifting through his curls as his expression darkens.

“Please.  Don’t leave me here again.  Go back. I won’t fight you.  I can’t, Steve.” Tony cannot stop his pleas.  He reaches a hand up and tries to hold Steve’s, but after the briefest contact with the rough skin the blonde recoils.  He knows Steve sees his tears before he turns away and continues toward the exit.

“Mr. Stark, we need to follow them.”

Peter tries to pull him up, but he stays down.  When he looks back up again, he’s sitting on the Quinjet across from a crestfallen Steve Rogers. Despite his condition, Barnes is in the cockpit as Siberia disappears beneath them.  Tony shrivels away from the blonde when Steve comes to sit next to him, a heavy hand landing on his knee. They sit still, Steve keeping a light grip on his leg.

“I think I lost you for good this time.”

 

***

 

Barnes and Rogers are standing next to each other by the expansive window in the laboratory, staring over the lush land of Wakanda.  Tony tries to give the two some privacy, but an unknowable force won’t let him stray far from Steve. He settles on a bench next to the set of supersoldiers.  Peter sits next to him, swaying his legs in front of him.

“He requested to be put back under until the HYDRA brainwashing no longer works on him.”  Peter pops up and walks over to the window. Tony decides to follow suit, ignoring how Steve’s eyes follow his movement.

“Are you, you know?  Still seeing things?”  Bucky holds his friend’s upper arm as the blonde turns his head to watch Tony step up to the window and look down.  Steve sighs, turning back to Bucky’s crinkled expression and trying gaze.

“Yes.  This must be my guilty conscience not beating around the bush.  I nearly killed him, Buck. For an instant, I thought I was going to.”

“But you didn’t.  You saved me, we got out.  T’Challa told us he saw Stark the other day in the States.  You will work things out. Did you send him that letter?”

“Yeah.  The phone, too.  I hope that helps me with this.”  Steve jerks his head over at Tony.

“Maybe you should let one of these doctors know.  Or your team, even.”

“No.  I’ll deal with it.  I wish you wouldn’t go back into the ice so quickly.  I could use a friend.”

“Sorry, Stevie.  I won’t risk another Winter Soldier rampage.  You still have your gang of rouge Avengers to look after your sorry ass.”

They both laugh.  Bucky gives him one last hug before stepping into the cryotube.  T’Challa shakes Steve’s hand before the supersoldier makes his way back to the Quinjet, Tony in forced tow.  Their flight back to the small apartment in Moscow is spent in silence.

 

***

 

Tony watches his old teammates move around the world, never staying in the same place longer than a month.  They sometimes stick together or disperse, depending on their surroundings. Five months into their traveling routine, they each get their own place in the small country of Liechtenstein.  Steve can barely fit on the twin mattress fitted into the corner of the condemned flat. Most nights he stays awake, filling up pages of a small notebook he carries with him. Tony does his best to keep his distance, which generally works in his favor.

Tonight when Steve leaves the apartment, Tony is able to stay.  He lies down on the small bed, listening to Peter’s whistles from the kitchen.  The soft tune allows him to drift into a state of void, the closest thing to sleep he can manage.

When he comes back, his back is nearly touching the wall and his head is cradled between Steve’s chest and neck.  The blonde has his arms wrapped around Tony’s smaller frame, legs also interlaced to keep himself from falling off the edge.  Tony feels as Steve traces shapes up his back, looping circles at his waist and connecting figure eights in the dips of his shoulder blades.

“Must be nice to have someone to come home to.”  Steve speaks the words against Tony’s temple. His lips are dry and warm as they press against the roots of his overgrown curls.

“Does this qualify?”  Tony always hesitates before he acknowledges Steve.  Ever since that first day in the bunker, he has never started a conversation.  He sometimes responds when Steve addresses him, only when they’re alone and Tony can keep his wits about him.  

“Probably shouldn’t.  I was referring to Pepper.  Saw in the paper that the two of you are engaged.”  The fingers on his back slide up to his neck and into his mess of hair.  Tony hears Steve softly inhale before he pulls back only far enough to look at his companion’s face.

“I should be happy for you.  You deserve to be happy.” The hand in Tony's hair comes forward to hold his cheek, thumb brushing over one of the dark circles under his eyes.

“But then I remember you’re not really here.  That this is all in my head, and this possessiveness I feel for you is just one-sided.”

“I’m not happy.  I proposed for the wrong reasons.  Didn’t want to be alone anymore.”

“And that is exactly what I would want to hear you say.  God, I am pathetic.” Steve presses a kiss against Tony’s forehead before his hold on the smaller man tightens.

“You have yet to call.  Proves that you don’t need me.”

“You know I’ll never call you, right?  Even when I’ll need you, I won’t make that call.  If you believe nothing else, believe that I want to call.  If you call me, I’ll tell you--”

“Don’t start this again.  Let’s just get some sleep.”

The pair share their warmth until Steve falls into slumber.

 

***

 

The next year is a haze of memories.  Tony spends most nights wrapped up in Steve’s arms, helping the tired nomad get some much needed rest.  The light touches and brief kisses seem to keep Steve from falling apart. After one terrible week spent scrambling across Europe and watching a town of refugees go up in flames from too far away, the supersoldier goes off the hinge.  Once they are alone in an abandoned barn with the rest of the team pressing ahead for clean-up, Steve pushes Tony up against a stall and bites into his neck.

“This is why the Accords can’t work, Stark.  Those families--were you able to help them? Or did Greece’s Prime Minister tell you no, the Avengers needed to stay out of their country’s affairs?”

Steve forgets to hold back his strength as he lifts Tony against the cracked wood, driving splinters through the back of his shirt.  He ignores Tony’s whimpers as he presses forward, dropping their jeans and rubbing their cocks together with a tight grip.

“You deserve this.  Everytime you let those damn Accords stop you from saving lives, this abuse is the least you deserve.”

Steve makes them come together, using their seed to continue pumping them as he rehardens.  Tony tries to scramble away once the sensation becomes overwhelming. He begs Steve to let him go as he feels a finger at his entrance.  He folds over when the single digit pushes into him, feeling like fire as he starts to rip.

Tony finds himself on the floor a second later.  Steve is backing away from him slowly, mouth gaping and eyes wider than spoons.

“What...no, Tony, I didn’t mean that.  Shit, I’m sorry. Please don’t leave me.”  The supersoldier drops to the ground next to him, pulling Tony into his arms and sobbing when he feels the small man flinch against his manic hold.

“Please, don’t leave.  Tony please, I love you.  I’m so sorry. You hate me.  I hate me.”

Tony sees Peter on the other side of the barn.  He looks so lost as he watches the two of them, face wet and arms shaking at his sides.  

“Mr. Stark, you have to forgive him.  If you don’t, then Thanos wins. You’ll fix this, won’t you?”

The mechanic stills in Steve’s arms.  He commits Peter’s sad figure and heavy words to memory before he gathers himself and takes Steve’s face in his hands, kissing him delicately on the cheek.

“I’m here, Steve.  I’m won’t leave you.  You’re forgiven. Can we please--pretend this never happened?  It was a bad day. You stopped before it went too far.”

“I don’t deserve you.”  Steve tries to smile as he gets up and makes a bed of hay for them.  He helps Tony lie down after they both pull up their pants and is careful as he hugs Tony to his chest.

Neither of them manage to get much rest.

 

***

 

Wakanda is still bright and green.  Even as warriors fall and men turn to dust, the country continues to be beautiful and luscious.  

Tony feels his figure flicker before he finds himself back in the Siberian bunker. Steve is next to him, holding his hand and pressing his forehead against the top of his head.  Strange wearily looks at them both and sighs before he lifts his hand again and creates another glowing green rune around his wrist.

“A glitch, then.  Let’s try again.”

**Author's Note:**

> Last part will be the conclusion, magic finally sorted out and working right. It'll take a few attempts. Main feature of the finale will have more to do with the repercussions of fixing rather than the actual fixing (because PTSI is where all those fun feels go and hide).
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed? Hopefully you don't hate me. I'm going to make it clear last part whether Tony is crazy or not (if seeing Steve and Peter is magic related or all in his head). Please let me know if you enjoyed. Kudos and reviews help motivate the frequency of my MCU writing sessions.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
